daria

Hi,

My husband and I will visit Chicago for the first time for a couple of days in December on our way to his parents' house for Christmas (in Michigan). We are trying to figure out what neighborhood to stay in.

I would say our major interests when traveling are art and food. Food being VERY important. We won't be there long, but want to visit the Art Institute and the Museum of Contemporary Art. So, I thought we could stay someplace in the area of the Loop, Millennium Park, and/or Northwestern University (mainly because this is near those 2 museums).

My questions are: Are there good restaurants in this area? We like to eat well, but not just haute cuisine. We like just about all ethnic food too. Also, are these pretty/ appealing areas generally? Are they touristy areas or will we be around locals too?

Thank you!

JJ5

I would stay LOOP location. You can see many replies by looking at the other Chicago threads. There are three that in the top 50 right now (most recent) that I put to the top for other posters today.

Welcome to Chicago and definitely stay downtown.

JJ5

daria, because you are doing this last minute you will probably be paying quite a bit of money for lodging downtown. Try doing Priceline or Hotwire for LOOP location and as late as you're doing this- you may find some excellent surprises.

www.priceline.com and this takes some bidding practice and may be too complex for a beginner.

www.hotwire.com and this is easy to use and quite straightforward. You won't know the name/location of your hotel until your price is accepted. You pay by c.c. immediately and you pick by star level and location.

If food is VERY important as you say- then you can research restaurants at www.metromix.com or look up the hundred or so threads here that discuss the couple of hundred Chicago restaurants in that area. This is a huge assortment.

jlm_mi

FYI - The Museum of Contemporary Art is on Chicago Street, near the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Ave.) Northwestern may have a campus in the area, but their main campus is in Evanston, considerably north of Chicago, but on the purple el line. I would not recommend staying in Evanston - it's a fine city, but not where you want to be if you're enjoying what Chicago has to offer.

I agree with JJ5 on the Loop location - it's central, with plenty of hotels to choose from. But, you really can't go wrong with the Michigan Ave. and River North hotels either. The beauty of Chicago is that with restaurants, you can get to most easily with a quick el ride, or inexpensive cab ride, so you're not limited to those in the vicinity of your hotel. And Chicago is full of wonderful restaurants, so you'll have plenty to choose from.

If you have trouble finding a hotel that suits, you might want to post your travel dates and budget. And for more restaurant recos, let us know your budget and food interests (I know you gave a few hints in your first post, but if you want anything more specific).

As to touristy - yes, those are the most heavily touristed areas of Chicago. But they are also where Chicago folks live and work, so you'll be elbow to elbow with people from Chicago and elsewhere. Some restaurants are more of the "tourist trap" variety, but most are not - you'll find a wide range of qualities and values around the area.

Oh, and though priceline can be intimidating, it's pretty easy to learn. You can find good FAQs (frequently asked questions) at www.biddingfortravel.com and www.betterbidding.com, or ask for more help here if you decide you're ready to do it.

daria

Thanks so much for your responses JJ5. Fortunately, we will be getting a hotel booked for us through my husband's company with a discounted rate so we won't have to resort to Priceline (which I have used before and don't like too much unless I can get at 4 star because I am not crazy about not knowing what I am getting).

I will check out the threads and the restaurant cite you mentioned.

Oh, and, is the area I mentioned called "downtown" (the Loop, etc.)? I gathered that from your response but was not sure.

Thanks again

daria

Thanks also to jlm_mi (your response did not appear on my screen before). Fyi, I saw Northwestern listed on a Yahoo map right near the Museum of Contemporary Art. Maybe it is wrong . . . .

The Loop sounds great. Thanks again for that info.

One hotel I am already considering is the W Chicago Lakeshore.

jlm_mi

There definitely could be a Northwestern campus there (medicine, or law or something), so it's probably right. Just didn't want to confuse things if you were thinking Evanston.

I haven't stayed at the W (it would be considered in the Magnificent Mile area), but the location is just OK - it's a bit away from things, but not bad by any means. A short walk to Michigan Ave. and still a short cab ride to most restaurants. It's several blocks from there to the el, but again not bad if you enjoy walking in a city (which I do!).

It doesn't get great reviews at tripadvisor.com Not sure it has been discussed here, but you can get reasonably decent search results if you go to www.google.com then click on advanced search and put fodors.com/forums into the "domain" box.

Any other hotels on your short list?

flamingomonkey

Downtown basically means the central city. The loop, near west, near south, and near north/gold coast. You can break it down even further, but unless you're from around here, the designations start to become rather meaningless. Everything you want will be in the loop and near north side. Looking at your map of Chicago, the loop is the area that has the loop of el tracks around it. That's the core of the city, the main business district. The near north side is immediately north of there, right over the river. However, the loop still isn't really a 24/7 destination, while the near north side is. If you want to be in the midst of the action, that's where you want to be, especially near Michigan Ave.

flamingomonkey

Regarding Northwestern, there is no campus downtown, but there is a huge hospital/medical center on the gold coast. It's near the MCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) and I think that's what everyone means, Northwestern Hospital.

marilynl

Northwestern's law school and the main part of the medical school are in the North Michigan Avenue area, near the Museum of Contemporary Art, which is on Chicago Avenue (not Street--I'm sorry, that sounds as funny to me as saying Fifth Street would to a New Yorker). To me downtown means more strictly the Loop area, south of the river and west of Michigan Avenue generally. IMHO, North Michigan Avenue area has more to offer in terms of restaurants and shopping, but the two areas are really very close to each other. I think the W Lakeshore is a little off the beaten path, and if you are walking around in December, those blocks east of Michigan Avenue are COLD.

exiledprincess

Daria, take a look at Flemish House of Chicago - it's a B&B in a prime Gold Coast location. This would be just to the northwest of the top of the Magnificient Mile and in an excellent location for what you wish to see and do here in Chicago.

Not only are you fairly close (about 5 blocks) to the MCA but the Art Institute is easily gotten to by the #145 CTA SB bus (pick it up at the corner of Delaware and Michigan in front of 900 N. Michigan). And the location is excellently situated for any dining along N. Rush Street.

Do you need any recommendations for dining as well?

jacketwatch

As you will be close by and want ethnic food there is Greek town to consider. It is on so. Halsted st. just no. of the UIC campus. Greek Islands is especially popular but there are many to choose from. For Persian food try Reza's. It is downtown and though I am not exactly certain of its location you can easily find it I am sure. If you like spicy food an excellent Indian restaurant called Gaylords is at 678 no. Clark and its been there for 30+ yrs. Have a nice time and be sure to enjoy our city.

AAFrequentFlyer

Berghoff on Adams for German food.

Russian Tea Time, also on Adams (just down the street from Berghoffs) for Russian food.

Gibsons on north Rush Street for the best steaks.

JJ5

Wow! Never, ever considered Gold Coast to be downtown at all. My mother has lived in Chicago for 85 years and really laughed at that one when I told her.

Kal

Just returned from Chicago.
Stayed at The Tremont. A bit tired as most website reviews mention but still an OK place for the price and a GREAT location on Chestnut St between No Mich and Rush.

Short walk to some good shopping, restaurants and it's attached to Ditka's....a decent place to watch a football game.

JJ5

Glad you had fun, KAL! I wish I could have met you and your wife, as well. DAMN WORK!

Forgot a RAVE: My daughter-in-law finished in 4 hours and 7 minutes. It was her first marathon.

Rant: It will probably be her last, as she is having a second back surgery in 5 days.

Kal

JJ5,
We will DEF be back in '06.

Forgot how much fun and how nice the people are back there...oh...and the food's OK too.

JJ5

I promise I won't forget to plan on being home for Marathon weekend. If I'm still on this planet, and you come to Chicago I will be there to say "hi".

Can't say I ever know enough people who like to have FUN!

daria

Hi all,

Thanks so much for all of your help. I am now thinking that the near north side/ North Michigan Avenue area sounds better. I read your comments and I also read a post on trip advisor saying that the financial district can be deserted at night and we don't want to be in a wasteland. Pardon the ignorance, but does this mean north of the river or just north of the millenium mile park?

Hotels we are considering now are Monaco, Radisson Hotel & Suites, Westin Chicago River, Sofitel, Fourt Points Chicago Downtown and the Peninsula. (Can't remember locations for these right now.) Any comments on these locations would be great. Of course the Sofitel and the Peninsula sound great, but whether we go with those will depend on the corporate rate we can get from my husband's employer. They may be more than we want to pay.

Thanks again!!

Daria

jlm_mi

daria - North of the River and north of the Millennium Park area are just about the same thing. The river is about 2 blocks north of the north end of Millennium Park.

I haven't stayed in any of those hotels, so can't comment specifically, but I will say that I've never considered the Loop to be a wasteland. It's very busy on weekdays, and not so bad on weekend days, and definitely not very busy at night. But it's not wholly deserted, nor is it unsafe. It just requires leaving the area of the hotel for most dining and nightlife options, but it's easy to get back to by el or cab. To me it just never mattered much - one night I might be in River North, the next in Old Town, and the next in Wrigleyville. I can't stay in a hotel where I could walk to all three locations after going out at night, so being "close to nightlife" doesn't matter too much to me.